Lush Life
by Nautical Paramour
Summary: After separating from the Weasley siblings, Harry and Hermione decide to spend the summer enjoying being teenagers by spending their nights in Muggle London. Harry/Hermione. Post war. One-shot.


A/N: Hi! This is part of an unintentional little "summer oneshot series" that I've been writing. It's a Harry x Hermione, and I suppose it could _almost_ be a prequel to Motobike. I've got at least two more of these one-shots planned, but I would love to hear if you have other suggestions/prompts/song prompts/pairings you want to to pass one. I usually write from a song. This one's song is Lush Life by Zara Larsson.

I would love to know what you thought of this...it's just kind of fun and not too deep! Keep on the lookout for another one-shot in two weeks.

* * *

It had been an easy decision to move into Grimmauld Place after the war was over. After spending so much time living in a tent practically on top of Harry, she couldn't imagine being apart from him. It was only for a few months, just until she went back to Hogwarts to complete her seventh year and take her NEWTs.

Another positive was that Ronald was staying at the Burrow with his other siblings. Molly wanted to keep them safe and close after the death of her son, Fred. Hermione knew it was a bit callous to be glad that Ron was away from them, but after their relationship never even got off the ground...it was good to have some distance.

What wasn't easy was convincing Harry to let loose a bit before he started his own auror training program in the fall. "Come on, Harry, when was the last time either of us just had fun for a change? We will be in the muggle world. No one would recognize us." She begged him.

Hermione wanted to go to a muggle dance club, get drunk, dance with strangers, and just be as non-Hermione as possible before she had to return to the tedium of Hogwarts, when she could take her NEWTs today and pass them all. School just seemed a bit juvenile now, after killing the wizarding world's darkest wizard.

"But, I don't turn 18 until the end of July, Hermione. I don't think that I could even get into the club." Her bespeckled friend told her, shocking her into rolling her eyes.

"Honestly, Harry! Are you a wizard or aren't you?" She asked, a grin wide on her face. "I will just transfigure your ID to change the date. The muggles won't even know anything is wrong."

"But, Hermione, that's illegal!" Harry whined, again to Hermione's immense amusement. She wished that she wasn't having to twist Harry's arm to have fun. Usually it was the other way around. But, she knew that he needed to let loose just as much as she need.

"Come on, Harry. Live a little! If anyone deserves a night out to get drunk and make out with a stranger, it's you!" She encouraged, seeing him already giving into her arguments.

"Alright, I will give it a try." He said, returning her grin. "Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?" He teased, tugging onto the long end of her curly hair. "This Friday?" He asked her.

"Yes, let's meet in the kitchen at eight." Hermione told him, eager to try out a new club she'd heard about in Leicester Square. Heading up to her room to pick out an outfit for her night out, she was excited about something for the first time since the war was over.

* * *

When Harry met her in the kitchen at eight on Friday night, she was pleased to see him dressed appropriately, with muggle jeans and a nice button up shirt. She'd selected a gray dress that was probably a little bit too tight and a little bit too short to be worn by Hermione Granger. She'd applied all kinds of anti-perspirant spells on her body so no one would be able to tell if she got too hot on the dance floor.

They walked to the pub around the corner from Grimmauld Place for a pint first, Hermione expressing her gratitude that Harry hadn't invited Ron along. Honestly, she was a bit surprised. "I like spending time with _just_ you, Hermione. Besides, I knew that there's been some...tension between you two."

Hermione gave Harry a sad smile. "Yes, I'd imagined what dating Ron would be like for so long, and then...when it actually happened, the desire just kind of fizzled out." Hermione thought back to their kiss in the Chamber of Secrets and then a frantic shag once the battle was over, but neither moment made her want to be with Ron. "He still doesn't understand."

"It's the same with Ginny." Harry told her, taking a swig of his beer. "I thought that once I actually could have a relationship with someone, without worrying about them getting hurt, that everything would just fall back in place. But, it just...didn't."

No other explanation was needed between the friends, so they left the pub, walking towards the tube stop so that they could go to the city center. Hermione pulled out a flash from her purse, sharing drags of firewhiskey with Harry, mischievous grins on both of their faces. Merlin, is this what they'd been missing all along?

Once the got to Leicester Square, they made their way up from the Underground and into the bright lights and bustle of people. It didn't take long to get to the club that had been selected. It was refreshing to be made to wait in line like everyone else.

If they'd thought that the city was full of people, then inside the club was more than they could imagine. In the crush of sweaty bodies, they pushed through to get a pair of shots, toasting to one another before entering the dance floor.

Neither one of them knew any of the songs, but they danced along to the rhythm anyway, pressed together, laughing, their heads spinning under the spell of alcohol and happiness.

* * *

Hermione woke up on the couch the next morning in the library of Grimmauld Place. Her head was leaning on Harry's shoulder, which was a bit too bony to be really comfortable. When she sat up, she was amazed at the ability to be both incredibly thirsty, and never want to put anything in her stomach ever again.

She was incredibly hung over, and judging by the groan when the sunlight hit Harry's eyes, he was too. Still...

Harry's green eyes met her, a moment of recognition passing between them. They'd danced all night together, stumbling into the coat room to apparate home sometime after three A.M.. Still, she could sense in his eyes that he'd enjoyed it. "That was bloody brilliant Hermione!" He told her, a sheepish grin on his face.

Hermione returned his smile, nodding vigorously. She wanted to do that again, every night for the rest of the summer. "Want to go again?" She asked him seriously. Seeing Harry's vigorous nod of agreement, she bit her lower lip. "Tonight?"

"Definitely."

* * *

The second time that they went was different. They both knew what to expect and knew how things were going to go and they were both excited at the prospect of recognizing some of the songs. They bought the same shots as the night before, downing them like candy, before heading out to the dance floor.

Seeing how the other people were dancing, really grinding against each other, had Hermione curious. Harry seemed to be too, because he gestured at a couple near them. "When in Rome?" He asked her, she supposed asking her to dance the same way.

She gave him a shy smile before nodding and turning around. Hermione was pleased that with the moderate boost her gold high heels gave her height, she and Harry fit together quite well, her arse nestled against his crotch.

It wasn't hard to get the kind of swaying rhythm down, and Hermione delighted in feeling Harry's hands against her hips, holding her against him. For a moment, she thought it might be weird, but then she wondered, why should it be weird? Harry was her best friend.

They continued this way, Hermione's judgement a bit blurred from the alcohol she'd drank, until Harry pulled her hair back from her neck and began kissing up and down on the exposed skin. She shivered, the feeling was like heaven to her, and had a heat pooling in her belly.

She wanted more of him, and so she rotated in his arms, pressing her front fully against his. Hermione barely had the chance to look into his emerald green eyes before he was pressing his lips to hers, searing them together.

Although Harry initiated the kiss, she was the one to take it deeper, opening her mouth and seeking out his tongue to rub sensually against it, moaning into his mouth while their bodies swayed on the dance floor.

* * *

Neither Hermione nor Harry talked about the makeout session they'd had out on the dancefloor of a muggle club, but both of them could sense the tension between them that hadn't existed before. Had it been wrong to kiss Harry? Hermione often wondered throughout the week. It had felt really good, but maybe it had just been the atmosphere and the alcohol. Maybe if it had been someone else it would have been the same?

She resolved to broaden her horizons when they went out the following week, deciding that she'd finally dance with someone other than Harry. Guys had asked her to dance the previous two times that she'd been out, but she declined them all.

So when a really cute, blond guy approached her, beer in hand and asked her to dance, she hesitated only momentarily. "Harry?" Turning to face Harry, to make sure he was okay with this development, she found that he was already dancing with a pretty redheaded girl.

Turning back to her muggle companion, she agreed happily. "I'm Hermione." She told him, letting him spin her around and pull her arse towards his front. They didn't fit together as well as she had with Harry, but when he whispered his name in her ear, the shivers that shot up and down her spine felt amazing.

Hermione blushed to feel the muggle, David, get an erection, and grinding it firmly against her, his rhythm not quite in time with the music. Seeing Harry though, with his hand splayed against the muggle girl's stomach, made her push back against him.

Soon, Harry's green eyes locked on hers while he regarded her with a bit of disgust almost. Hermione huffed, thinking he was quite hypocritical when he was practically slobbering all over that slag!

When the song ended, Harry marched over, and pulled her out of David's grasp, a tight smile on his face. "Come on, Hermione. We have to leave now if we want to catch our train." The muggle made a half-hearted offer that she spend the night at his if she didn't want to leave with her _brother_.

Hermione happily declined, leading Harry to the coat check so that they could apparate back to Grimmauld Place. As soon as they reached their destination, Harry had his hands in her wild hair, pulling her towards time, lips pressed together in a bruising kiss.

She could barely keep the grin off her face, thinking that he must have been just as jealous as she'd been. Harry shocked her, then, by pulling the top of her scoop neck dress down, pushing her bra up, and palming her breast in his warm hand. Her keening was met by his masculine groan.

Neither one mentioned that it was much earlier in the night than they usually went home.

* * *

Harry and Hermione barely made it through an hour of dancing with each other at the club the following evening before apparating back home in a desperate tangle of hands and mouths. She wanted, no needed, to get her hands under his shirt, and she was pleased to see that he'd brought them back to his bedroom.

He pushed her back to land softly on his bed, Hermione kicking off her ridiculous high heeled shoes and pulling him down to kiss her again. Using deft fingers, she popped the buttons in his shirt free of their holes, pushing the fabric back to reveal Harry's muscular chest. They'd only been back from being on the run for two months and he'd already managed to gain back most of his musculature.

Harry grasped the hem of her dress, pulling it up over her head, leaving Hermione in just her knickers, to his immense surprise. Staring down at her in awe, he drank in her beauty. Merlin, if he hadn't wanted her before, he certainly did now.

Snapping back into action, he undid the zip on his jeans, pushing them down with his boxers, crawling to cover her body with his own. Harry gasped, feeling the heat of her body pressed against him before surging forward to capture her lips in a searing kiss. He thought he might like to kiss her forever, but her insistent rocking hips against his erection made him break away with a groan.

Kissing his way down her body, he captured each rosy nipple that tipped her pale breasts with his mouth, repeatedly running his tongue over the hard peaks again and again, until she was crying his name and had her fingers in his hair holding him to her. Smirking against her rounded flesh, he let his fingers trail down her sides, catching the sides of her knickers and pulling them down her shapely legs.

Unwilling to stop there, Harry let his fingers finger her silky folds, delving between them to find the hard nub at the top of her sex. He gasped at feeling the wetness, the heat. He sought out her slit, thrusting a finger inside of her, only to groan at how tight she was. This was Hermione, and she was this tight and this hot and this wet for _him._ It was more intoxicating than anything he could drink at the club.

"Please Harry." She mewled, trying to reach his own throbbing cock, wanting them to be joined as intimately as possible. Harry didn't have to be asked twice, and aligned himself with her, eager to finally be inside of her.

Inch after glorious inch was enveloped in her waiting heat, until he was fully seated inside of her. "Merlin, Hermione, you feel incredible." He whispered into her hair, trying to control himself so that their tryst wouldn't be over before it started. She was so lush.

Hermione wrapped her legs around his trim waist, changing the angle and encouraging him to move. He happily complied, pulling almost all the way out of her before pistoning back in, over and over and over again, until they were both moaning together, their bodies slick with sweat.

Harry thought that hearing his name on Hermione's lips, asking for more pleasure, pleasure only he could provide her, was the sweetest sound he'd ever heard. She was incredible, responsive, and so wet. It was better than anything he'd imagined, and he'd certainly been doing a lot of imagining since she moved in.

Before long, she was crying out underneath him, a sweet whine, her voice low and husky. Feeling her tighten around him had Harry following over the edge to orgasm, his hips thrusting only a few more times before he collapsed against her body, cradled between her legs.

He rolled to the side, not wanting to crush her, and pulled her close to his body. They would have to talk about this later, but for now, he just wanted to keep the fantasy alive for the night. His eyes heavy and his body sated, he let sleep overtake him.

* * *

Hermione woke the next morning, a pleasant ache between her thighs and Harry's morning wood pressed against her arse, his hand on her waist, holding her close. She sighed, remembering the night before. It was better, more explosive than anything she'd hoped for, and she wanted to do it again.

She just hoped that Harry would be just as amenable. She didn't want their roll in the hay to ruin the friendship they'd had for seven years. She hadn't thought about the possible outcomes the night before, instead, just getting lost in the toe-curling sensations.

Not wanting to put the inevitable off any longer, she turned to face Harry, only to find his green eyes already looking at her. He reached up, pushing some of her wild hair behind her ear, giving her nothing to hide behind. She blushed, knowing that she must look a right mess.

Taking a deep breath and gathering all of her Gryffindor courage, she decided to break the ice. "Good morning Harry." She was annoyed at the demure smile that was on her face, she wanted to seem like a powerful, confident woman.

"Morning, Hermione." Harry said, yawning. "Listen, about last night…" He trailed off.

Hermione wanted to snort. It was a bit hard to skirt around the issue when they were both still naked and in his bed. "Yes, last night. I really enjoyed it a lot." She bit her lower lip. "And I wouldn't mind doing it again."

Hermione saw the hesitation on his face, and she worried that he might not agree if he thought she was going to be all clingy. It wasn't ideal, but Hermione could live with just the sex. It would only be for the summer, after all, as they would part ways in September. "I mean, just casually of course. Just a summer fling, you know?" She added nervously.

Harry seemed to be momentarily disappointed, but then his face brightened, taking on a confident grin. "I...sure Hermione. I agree that last night was fantastic, and I'd also like to do it again. A..summer fling would be nice."

Hermione grimaced, seeing that he said it was _nice_. "Are you sure you want to do this again?" She asked, tentatively. "We could just pretend it never happened."

He shook his head fiercely. "No! I absolutely want to do it again." He told her with a smile, before pulling her on top of him, showing her _exactly_ how much he wanted another go.

* * *

The rest of summer passed by with a speed that annoyed Hermione. Normally she longed to go back to school, but now she just wanted to spend all of her time with Harry. Their summer fling, spent dancing and fucking on every available surface in Grimmauld Place, seemed to pass by in a blink of an eyes, and Hermione found that she didn't want to give it up.

She couldn't believe that now she was sitting at the Burrow, for a little party to send her back to Hogwarts and Harry and Ron off to auror training. Was this really her last weekend at Grimmauld Place? It was crushing to think so.

Hermione hadn't spoken to Harry about their fling, but he hadn't brought it up either. She didn't want to jeopardize anything by expecting more than he cared to give her, but it didn't help the ache that rested in her heart.

Noticing that the pitcher of lemonade was nearly empty, she stood from the outdoor picnic table and made her way to the kitchen, to get a refill. When she got to the kitchen door, the gleeful voices of Mrs. Weasley and Ginny made Hermione pause, deciding to listen before entering the room.

"But do you think that Harry and I will ever get back together?" Ginny asked. "He's been really flirty with me today." Hermione frowned at the stab of jealousy she felt. Of course, Harry had always found Ginny to be very attractive.

"Definitely, Ginny dear." Mrs. Weasley answered with a confidence that left Hermione breathless. "Ron has told me that he and Harry have been talking a lot about the future. Ron is confident that Harry will want to settle down with a witch once auror training starts. The time for summer fun is over."

Hermione gasped at the words, feeling that this was closing the door on her fling with Harry. She set the pitcher down on a table, needing to get out of the Burrow as quickly as possible. Hermione couldn't face Harry now, especially not with tears in her eyes. Grabbing some Floo powder, she called out her destination and stepped through before her body was caught with wracking sobs.

* * *

"Hermione?" A voice called out up the stairs of Grimmauld Place. Not just any voice, either, but _his_ voice.

Hermione sighed, knowing that this was inevitable. "I'm up here, Harry." She called down to him from her room, where she'd been hurriedly been packing up her belongings. She was impressed that her voice didn't waver, didn't betray the fact that she'd been crying.

He stepped into the room, and Hermione immediately tensed. Harry had always been a bit too good at reading her. "Hermione, what's wrong? Have you been crying?"

She felt a fresh wave of tears in her eyes, and she fiercely blinked them back. "Yes, I...I guess I just got a bit upset when I realized that our summer was coming to an end." She told him honestly, knowing that the conversation needed to happen. "Don't worry, I won't expect anything, and I completely understand if you want to...you know, have a clean break."

Harry looked at her confused. "I don't understand?"

"I just...I guess I got a little bit attached to you." She told him, feeling absolutely guilty. "But, I don't want you to worry, I just need a little time to get over it. I won't make things awkward between us." She kept her eyes firmly on the ground, not wanting to show him her red rimmed eyes.

He was so quiet, though, that the silence finally got to her, and she had to see what he was thinking. She looked up and gasped at the fond smile on his face, his bright eyes framed by his glasses. "Actually, Hermione...I find myself quite attached to you as well." He told her, his smile transforming into a grin. "I'm not content to just leave this as a summer fling, and I was wondering how you'd feel about making it permanent?"

"Permanent?" She asked perplexed. "You mean like boyfriend and girlfriend? You want to date me?" Hope blossomed in her chest, and she prayed that she wasn't misinterpreting his words.

"Yes, I'd very much like to date you...properly of course, if you'll have me." Harry told her. "I'd very much like to take you to every Hogsmeade weekend that you have available."

Hermione stood from the floor, launching herself into his arms, planting her lips firmly against his. "Yes, of course, I'll have you Harry Potter! I might even let you talk me into sneaking out to Hogsmeade if you can be convincing." She teased, before pushing him back towards his bed.

"Oh, I think that I can be quite convincing, darling." He whispered against her lips. Hermione shivered, knowing that she didn't need any convincing at all. Looking down at her boyfriend, she was glad what they'd found together would last much longer than the summer.

If she had it her way, she'd never give him up.


End file.
